Student Union
Student Hopes Genetics Will Raise the Voice of the Deaf
Megan Majocha's schedule will leave you breathless.
As an undergrad, she worked three internships. She knows three languages and is a dedicated follower of the very popular medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy.” Add to that a love of reading, working out, and baking, all while graduating from university.
Majocha says she studied biology and wants to be a doctor because her parents are deaf. Her siblings are hearing.
“My favorite class ... was human genetics,” she said, “especially related to deaf genes and what makes us deaf, and I learned about the community. All of that was very fascinating for me.”
Because Majocha is deaf, too.
“I think I was about five or six years old, and I was sitting on my dad’s lap, and we were having a conversation and my dad said, ‘What do you want to do when you grow up?’” she recalled. “And I kind of sat and thought about it and he said, ‘Do you want to be a teacher?’ And I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Do you want to be a police officer?’ I said, ‘No.’ So I did sit and think about it and my response was, ‘I want to be a doctor.”
Majocha attended Gallaudet University in Washington, "the world's only university designed to be barrier-free for deaf and hard of hearing students," according to its website. The 150-year-old institution is the world's largest publisher of books about and for the deaf community. Students come from the United States and more than 25 other countries, and can earn bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in American Sign Language (ASL).
ASL is not a boutique language limited only to people who know someone deaf. It is the third-most studied language in the United States after Spanish and French, according to the Modern Language Association. Between 2009-2013, enrollment in ASL classes increased 19 percent. It was more popular than learning German, which came in fourth, the MLA said.
“The deaf community is very small, and being a part of this community is an honor,” she said. “It really helped me stand up for what I believe in, to fight for my own rights."
After graduation, she worked with the Magee-Women's Research Institute in Pittsburgh in the reproductive biology department as the only deaf employee there.
“But people were willing to learn a little bit of sign language to increase their awareness and knowledge of deafness,” she said, advising the hearing abled to “ask questions and be open about knowing our culture and our community.”
Majocha is working now as a post-baccalaureate fellow at the National Cancer Institute, a part of National Institutes of Health, on genetic research.
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Trump administration opens antisemitism inquiries at 5 colleges, including Columbia and Berkeley
The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.
Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."
Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."
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